Signs of reconciliation emerged on Tuesday as security operatives and the Sergeant-at-Arms of the National Assembly reopened Office 205 of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP–Kogi Central), restoring her access to the Senate complex after months of restriction.
The move is seen as a step toward resolving the long-running dispute between Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan and Senate President Godswill Akpabio. Parliamentary sources revealed that the decision followed a closed-door meeting of Senate leaders on Monday.
A motion is expected when plenary resumes on October 7, 2025, with Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro likely to move for her full reinstatement after a public apology.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended for six months in March 2025 after protesting the reallocation of her seat in the chamber. She was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and NGOs and barred from participating in all 10th Senate activities for alleged breaches of standing rules.
Although her suspension technically expired in September, she remained locked out amid legal challenges and Senate resistance. In July, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court described the suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional,” warning that it deprived her constituents of representation. The Senate, however, maintained that she must serve the full term.
Tensions escalated earlier this month when her counsel, Michael Jonathan Numa (SAN), issued a warning to the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamorudeen Ogunlana, demanding her reinstatement by September 15 or face contempt proceedings. Ogunlana responded that only the Senate itself could act on the matter, a position later reaffirmed by NASS Information Director Bullah Audu Bi-Allah.
The reopening of her office now suggests the chamber may be preparing to formally reinstate the lawmaker in the coming weeks.
